Genomic surveillance has revealed that malaria resistance to two first-line antimalarial drugs has spread rapidly from Cambodia to neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia.
Genomic surveillance has revealed that malaria resistance to two first-line antimalarial drugs has spread rapidly from Cambodia to neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Oxford and Mahidol University, Bangkok, discovered that descendants of one multi-drug resistant malaria strain are replacing the local parasite populations in Vietnam, Laos and northeastern Thailand. They also found the resistant strain has picked up additional new genetic changes, which may be enhancing resistance even further.
The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases today (22nd July), reveals the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance to inform public health malaria control strategies. Global efforts to eliminate malaria could be threatened by any delays in detecting and acting on the spread of resistance.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites which are spread through mosquito bites. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 220 million people were infected in 2017, causing at least 400,000 deaths*, with children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa at most risk. Malaria can be treated when caught early enough, but the parasite is becoming resistant to antimalarial drugs in many areas, especially Southeast Asia, putting elimination efforts at risk.
Read more at Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
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